Russia

Country Information Pack

Published 01 March 2011

Home Office documents

11/11/2010
Country of Origin Information Report, Home Office

Human Rights Reports

06/06/2010
US State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report (Extract: Russia)
The Russia report is at page 279. Russia has Tier 2 Watch List status for the seventh consecutive year. ...read more
01/01/2010
Freedom House, Country Report: Russia, 2010
Published 2010. See in relation to internal passports, freedom of movement, racism as well as domestic violence and trafficking. ...read more
01/09/2010
USAID, Trafficking of Adult Men in the Europe and Eurasia region
Published Sept 2010. ...read more
11/03/2010
US State Department, Country Reports 2009: Russia
See information on internal passports, freedom of movement, harassment and discrimination against women in work in addition to information on women, children and trafficking. ...read more
30/07/2010
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women: Concluding Observations: Russian Federation CEDAW/C/USR/CO/7
01/01/2010
The Protection Project, A Human Rights Report on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children: Russia
Published 2010. ...read more
18/12/2009
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Responses to Immigration Requests: RUS103312.E Domestic Violence; recourse and protection available to victims of domestic violence; support services and availability of shelters (2007-2009)
14/12/2009
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Responses to Immigration Requests: RUS103315.E Whether a database containing residency registration information of Russian citizens exists; how it is accessed and under what circumstances; how it is updated.
01/02/2009
OHCHR, Compilation prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in accordance with paragraph 15(B) of the annex to Human Rights Council Resolution 5/1: Russian Federation
Published Feb 2009. Compilation of UN information on the Russian Federation by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Contains comments on discrimination against women, racial discrimination, violence against women, trafficking, sexual exploitation of young people, detention of persons for non-compliance with the system of registration for residence, the judicial system and employment. ...read more
01/01/2009
International Labour Office, Conference Committee on the Application of Standards: Extracts from the Record of Proceedings
Published 2009. Pages 148-151 concern Russia and child trafficking. ...read more
01/01/2009
IOM/ILO, Countering the spread of slavery and human trafficking in the Russian Federation
Published 2009. ...read more
01/09/2008
ECPAT, Regional overview on child sexual abuse images through the use of ICT in Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine
Published Sept 2008. Pages16-18 contains an overview of commercial sexual exploitation of children in the region. ...read more
01/03/2006
UN/IOM, Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation: Inventory and analysis of the current situation and responses
Published March 2006. ...read more
26/01/2006
Commission on Human Rights, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Erturk. Addendum: Mission to the Russian Federation
01/01/2005
Orlova, A. V. “Trafficking of Women and Children for Exploitation in the Commercial Sex Trade: The Case of the Russian Federation,” Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, VI: II (2005), 157-178
Published Jan 2005. Purchase article for $3.50. ...read more
01/01/2004
Orlova, A.V. “From Social Dislocation to Human Trafficking: The Russian Case,” Problems of Post Communism, 51: 6 (2004), 14-22
Published 2004. Purchase article for $25 ...read more

News Reports

06/07/2010
RussiaProfile.org, Trafficked and unsheltered
Comments on lack of comprehensive trafficking strategy and closure of support shelters. ...read more
09/03/2009
Haaeretz.com, Tel Aviv police hunt head of women trafficking ring
Article about Israeli investigation into Russian trafficking ring wanted for for trafficking an estimated 2000 women to Israel and Cyprus, then Belgium and England later. ...read more
07/08/2009
St Petersburg Times, Human trafficking put in the spotlight by local project
31/07/2009
Inter Press Service, Focus shifts to trafficking of men in Europe
Discusses increase in trafficking in men in Eastern Europe and Russian situation. ...read more
05/03/2011
St Petersburg Times, Military spy charged in sex slave ring
News item reports on Russian official within the Defense Ministry's intelligence branch being charged with leading an international crime ring trafficking women. ...read more
05/12/2008
US National Public Radio, Little support for trafficked women in Russia
18/07/2008
CNN, Russia’s sex slave industry thrives, rights groups say
06/06/2008
Sky News, Russian prostitution boosted by boom
26/04/2008
Inter Press Service, Where migration means trafficking
27/01/2008
Russia Today, Russian girls trapped in sex slave nightmare
News item states that Russia is one of the main source countries of women trafficked into the sex trade. ...read more
07/04/2007
RIA Novosti, Spain breaks up prostitution ring with Russian sex slaves
Russian Interior Ministry believes trafficking has intensified in Russia in recent years. ...read more
11/02/2007
The Observer, Over four years Urals gang killed 30 women taken for a ‘picnic’
05/01/2007
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Chechnya: Children for Sale
22/03/2006
Pravda, Thousands of Russian women sold to slavery abroad

Background Materials

01/03/2011
RESIDENCE REGISTRATION SYSTEM
The constraints of the residence registration system (formerly the “propiska”) are an additional factor which has an impact on the ability to internally relocate. Additional reports on this issue are included below. ...read more
14/12/2009
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Responses to Information Requests: RUS103311.E Russia: Residence registration system; official procedures to change registration; whether registration is required to access government services; police treatment of ethnic minorities and unregistered persons; regional restrictions on registration, particularly in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg
26/01/2006
UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women its causes and consequences, Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women its causes and consequences: Addendum- Mission to the Russian Federation, E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.2
01/03/2011
INFORMATION ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN RUSSIA, VIOLENCE, POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT BELOW
12/07/2010
Novgorod Gender Centre, Shadow report, Discrimination and Status of Rural Women in the Russian Federation for the 46 sessions of Commission on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 12-30 July 2010
Particular vulnerability of women in rural areas. ...read more
01/07/2010
Amnesty International, Briefing to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, 46th session, July 2010
Published 2010. ...read more
01/03/2010
All Russian Association women’s non-governmental organisations, The Alternative Report prepared by the Consortium of Women’s Non-Governmental Organisations
Published March 2010. ...read more
01/02/2006
American Bar Association, CEDAW Assessment Tool Report for the Russian Federation
Published Feb 2006. ...read more
01/03/2011
RACISM AND RACIST VIOLENCE IN RUSSIA
Due to racism and racist violence in Russia, a trafficked client’s vulnerability to further abuse and their inability to internally relocate may be increased by being of Chechen, Roma or other ethnicity. Reports documenting racist violence and abuse are therefore included below. ...read more
01/10/2009
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canda, Responses to Information Requests: RUS103139.E Russia: Situation and treatment of visible ethnic minorities; availability of state protection
01/11/2007
Amnesty International, Russian Federation: Day of National Unity – a day to challenge racism
05/10/2007
Amnesty International, Russian Federation Update Briefing: What progress has been made since May 2006 to tackle violent racism?
01/08/2006
St Petersburg Times, Tales from the Racist Russian Horror Chamber
04/05/2006
Amnesty International, Russian Federation: Violent Racism Out of Control
01/03/2011
INFORMATION ON CORRUPTION BELOW
17/02/2011
UN News Service, UN rights chief urges Russia to step up efforts to ensure rule of law, accountability
01/01/2008
T.Gerber and S. Mendelson, Public experiences of police violence and corruption in contemporary Russia: a case of predatory policing? (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Published 2008. ...read more

Experts

01/03/2011
Dr Alexandra Orlova
Address: Ryerson University, Toronto Canada
Email: aorlova@ryerson.ca
Profile: http://www.ryerson.ca/criminaljustice/faculty/orlovaa.html ...read more
01/03/2011
Marjorie Farquharson
Email: mmf@blueyonder.co.uk
Profile: http://www.ein.org.uk/experts/full.shtml?x=197132 ...read more
01/03/2011
Dr Anastasia Nesveitalova
Address: Department of International Relations and Politics, Centre for Global Political Economy, University of Sussex
Tel: (01273) 876589
Fax: (01273) 673563
Email: a.nesvetailova@sussex.ac.uk ...read more
01/03/2011
Dr Svetlana Stephenson
Address: London Metropolitan University
Tel: 020 7133 5030
Email: s.stephenson@londonmet.ac.uk
Profile: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/depts/dass/staff/svetlanastephenson/

For further evidence on residence registration and social conditions including risk of destitution, unemployment and homelessness and child protection and welfare systems. ...read more

Further Resources

01/03/2011
ECPAT, Fact Sheet on Russia
Contains useful information on contacting organisations in Russia and a bibliography. ...read more
01/03/2011
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